This post contains affiliate links, which are designed for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites.  For my full disclosure policy click here.

Growing Up on Canned Chili

As I mentioned, I grew up in a home that exclusively used Nalley chili. We’d eat it by the bowl full, but also used it as a topping for baked potatoes and hot dogs. After growing up and leaving the house, that one canned food almost single-handedly saw me through many college-student and early-in-marriage dinners. 

When I started cooking from scratch due to dietary restrictions, I hit a little roadblock; any time I wanted to have a baked potato with chili, it always tasted “off” when I tried to use chili that I had made from scratch. 

My taste buds just wanted a can of Nalley. 

And the funny thing is that it was the same with my husband because he grew up eating Nalley, as well.

So…off I went into the world of Pinterest, looking for a recipe that tasted like canned chili.  Usually people try to get their food to NOT taste like canned food.  I’m crazy, I know.

I never found what I needed on Pinterest {what?!}, but in a comment thread of some random food discussion board (I can’t find it now), someone shared a recipe that reminded them of Nalley.  I tweaked it a little bit and gave it a try.  We were sold.

In fact, our taste buds have now changed (plus, I swear Nalley changed their recipe after their shortage a few years back). We much prefer this homemade chili to canned and it has become a heavy lifter in our family meal planning. In addition to being a simple weeknight dinner on the stovetop, it’s super easy to put all of the ingredients in a crockpot and let it simmer all day. You can also save some time by cooking and freezing the ground beef in advance so you just have to throw it in and let it simmer with the other ingredients.

A Nalley Chili Copycat Recipe?

Now, I’m not going to advertise this as a copycat because it’s not; it definitely tastes like homemade chili.  (Which means you should still give this a try even if you’re not a fan of Nalley.) BUT it is a simple chili that is PERFECT for topping hot dogs, fries, or baked potatoes, and it is also delicious to eat in a bowl with your favorite toppings.

You can also omit the ground beef and substitute an additional can of kidney beans. This makes an easy Meatless Monday dinner!

If you grew up in a Nalley-eating home like mine, it will be slightly reminiscent of childhood.  Give it a try…it’s delicious!

Pin This Quick and Easy Chili Recipe

Just add this pin to your favorite Pinterest board of simple recipes! You’ll be able to quickly find this recipe when you have a hankering for some Nalley chili.

Grab the Recipe!

Quick and Easy Chili

This simple recipe might remind you of your favorite canned chili...but it's even better!

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2cup chopped onion(or 2 Tbsp dried chopped onion)
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1.5tsp cumin
• 1tsp salt
• 1/2tsp black pepper
• 1/2tsp minced garlic
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoesUndrained
• 115 oz can tomato sauce(You might not use all of it)
• 215 oz cans pinto beansDrained and rinsed

Instructions

1. In a soup pot, brown ground beef with onion. Drain fat.
2. Add all other ingredients to pot. Add enough of the tomato sauce for your desired consistency. I normally use about 3/4 of a can.
3. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. (If you are pressed for time and can't simmer for very long, add a pinch or two of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.)
4. Serve with your favorite toppings (sour cream, onion, cheese) OR as a topping for baked potatoes, nachos, or hot dogs!
5. **For a meatless version, just add an additional can of beans (I like to use kidney beans when I omit the meat)

The post Quick and Easy Chili Recipe appeared first on Mommy Standard Time.

]]> https://www.mommystandardtime.com/recipe/quick-easy-chili/feed/ 0 https://www.mommystandardtime.com/recipe-storage-ideas/ Fri, 05 Jan 2024 22:12:05 +0000 https://www.mommystandardtime.com/?p=4065 These time-saving recipe storage ideas will help you get the paper and digital recipe clutter under control so you can meal plan more quickly!

The post 10 Time-Saving Recipe Storage Ideas appeared first on Mommy Standard Time.

]]> Do you feel like you spend more time hunting down recipes than actually preparing them? When it’s time to meal plan, are you overwhelmed by crumpled printouts, recipe cards, and cookbooks? I’m going to share some recipe storage ideas that will help you streamline your meal planning!

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Why You Need Recipe Storage

There are many reasons why you might want to find a new favorite way to keep your recipes organized:

• Keep Family Favorites Handy: Even though you might have those tried-and-true recipes memorized by now, it’s a great idea to have them all in one place.
• Consolidate Loose Recipes: It’s always worth it to cut down on the paper clutter!
• Organize New Recipes: Keep track of recipes that you want to try, so you don’t forget to add them to the meal plan.
• Save Storage Space: Whether your cookbook collection is creating a jam-packed kitchen cabinet or you just want your open shelving to look a bit more tidy, a recipe organization system can help you save precious kitchen space.
• Share with Family Members: If you seem to be the go-to contact for family recipes, it’s always helpful to have them organized and ready to share.

Everyone is different, so there’s no one “right” answer when it comes to the best way to keep recipes organized. However, I’m going to share ten recipe storage ideas to help you keep the recipes for your favorite meals at your fingertips.

10 Recipe Storage Ideas

1. Recipe Binder

Is your cookbook shelf overwhelmed by a stack of recipes that you’ve printed off or photocopied over the years? A DIY recipe binder is a great way to organize this paper clutter! Just slip each recipe into a sheet protector to create an organized binder system for your recipes.

All you need is a big binder, plastic sleeves, tab dividers, and a little time! You can even purchase special page protectors to hold recipe cards or half-sheet recipes. If you’d prefer to skip the sheet protectors, you could just hole-punch the recipes and slip them into the binder. 

2. Recipe Box

A traditional recipe box is a classic for a reason! There’s nothing like sifting through your old family recipes in a wood recipe box.

Once you’ve transferred your favorite family recipes to index cards, you can file them away and have them at your fingertips. Recipe cards can be propped up anywhere for easy access while cooking. It also makes it easy to delegate recipes to any kitchen helpers you might have. This cuts down on the cookbook-sharing chaos when you’re working on a big holiday meal!

3. Recipe Book

If you’d rather not have loose cards, a recipe book is another great option. Similar to a recipe box, you will need to write out your favorite recipes on blank book pages.

Then, you can file the pages into the appropriate divided sections. This type of recipe keeper is easy to grab and go, plus it sits up nicely in a cookbook holder so you can cook hands-free. 

4. Recipe Journal

If you like to adjust recipes and make notes as you go, a recipe journal is a great option! Whether it’s a hard-copy journal that’s designed for that purpose or a blank notebook that you customize yourself, having a recipe journal is the perfect place to document your culinary creations and modifications. You can also set up a table of contents for your recipe pages so they’re easier to find. 

5. Personal Cookbook

Do you find yourself reaching for the same recipes over and over? Do you have friends and family who ask for your tried-and-true holiday recipes every year without fail? Maybe it’s time to put together a personal cookbook that you can keep for yourself and gift to others! There are many different options online for creating your own cookbook.

6. Pinterest Boards

If you frequently turn to Pinterest for meal inspiration, you might consider creating a storage solution right on Pinterest! You can organize your Pinterest boards to make your favorite meal ideas easier to find. 

The first way to stay organized is to keep your boards organized by title. If your boards are organized by name, just put the same symbol or letter at the beginning of all of your recipe boards so they stay together. (Title them all with “Recipes” as the first word or start each board title with an asterisk.) You could also do a custom sort and manually group all of your recipe boards together.

The other way to keep your recipes more organized on Pinterest is by adding sections to your boards. Open up your board, then click on the “organize” button above the pins. You can select related pins (like all of your chicken recipes) and then click on the folder button to create a separate “Chicken” section for those pins. The next time you open your board for main dishes, you’ll have the pins organized by protein. This can drastically cut down on your scrolling time!

7. Social Media

You don’t need to share new recipes to your own timeline or stories to keep recipes saved on social media anymore. Many of your favorite social networks now have a “Collections” feature for saved posts. You can even collaborate with friends!

​8. Your Photos

Did you know that your phone’s camera can be a great recipe storage resource? You probably already have a whole bunch of screenshots from recipe websites in your camera roll already!

The iPhone’s search feature in the Photos app can actually search the text on your photos. This makes it easy to find the picture of Grandma’s chocolate chip cookie recipe card that you snapped at Christmas last year without having to waste time scrolling. Talk about a game changer! If you want to take this feature even further, you can create albums on your phone to organize the recipe images. 

9. Digital Recipe Storage

Many digital organization tools can help you keep your recipe collection organized. For example, you could use Google Keep’s web clipper to save recipes that you come across online. You can also type in your own recipes to have digital copies saved to Google Keep. A great perk to using Google Keep is that you can set up a meal-planning calendar using the reminder feature! In addition to Google keep, there are many other digital recipe keepers available online to help you keep your favorite recipes organized. Many popular recipe websites even allow you to sign in to save and organize the recipes you like.

10. Meal Planning Apps

My personal favorite method of recipe storage is to use a meal-planning app. You’re able to have all of your recipes organized and available to you whenever you need them. If you’re at the grocery store and decide to change your meal plan based on a sale, you can quickly look up the recipe from the meal planning app on your phone. The best meal planning apps let you add your own recipes as well as import recipes that you find online. 

The best part about using a meal-planning app for your recipe storage is that you can also create your shopping list as you map out your recipes for the week! My favorite meal planner is Plan to Eat, which will consolidate all of the ingredients from the recipes I want to cook that week. The result is a streamlined shopping list and a whole lot of saved time! I’ve written an entire review of Plan to Eat, if you want to check it out.

One of the best things about Plan to Eat is that it’s inexpensive and they give you a completely no-obligation free trial. You don’t even have to input your credit card information! Just click here or below if you’d like to check it out for free today. (Thanks for using my referral link to tell them I sent you! I may receive compensation for referring you to their app.)

Save These Recipe Storage Ideas

Be sure to save this post if you’d like to come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these recipe storage ideas when you’re ready to get your recipe collection organized once and for all!

The post 10 Time-Saving Recipe Storage Ideas appeared first on Mommy Standard Time.

]]> https://www.mommystandardtime.com/dinner-themes-meal-planning-time-saver/ Fri, 05 Jan 2024 11:17:00 +0000 https://www.mommystandardtime.com/?p=65 Do you have trouble deciding what's for dinner every night! Meal plan with theme nights instead! Check out these 50+ theme night ideas for meal planning.

The post Meal Plan with Theme Nights: Over 50 Ideas! appeared first on Mommy Standard Time.

]]> Meal planning can be SUCH a time-consuming hurdle, especially when you’re trying to come up with dinner ideas for a family full of opinions and/or dietary restrictions. The good news is that you can give yourself a head start by creating a meal plan with theme nights. Even BETTER news: I’m going to give you over 50 ideas for theme nights that you can use to save time on meal planning.

This post contains affiliate links. I may earn from qualifying purchases.  For my full disclosure policy click here.

The Benefits of Meal Planning with Theme Nights

Several years ago, when I was in a meal-planning rut, I decided to give each night of the week a theme (like Taco Tuesday) to see if it would save time on meal planning. It worked…and it stuck! I have been shocked by the amount of time I have been able to shave from the meal planning process by assigning a theme to each night of the week.  

Having an outline of what type of meal goes on which night of the week can jump-start the meal planning process; it narrows your focus so you don’t get overwhelmed sifting through your recipe collection. Want to give it a try? I have some theme night ideas for you.

Meal Plan Theme Night Ideas

Below are the current theme nights that we use at our house, plus a few other ideas for each night of the week. (The possibilities really are endless, especially if you don’t insist on alliteration like I do.  I’m weird like that…)

MONDAY

Our family starts the week with Meatless Monday.  There are a lot of reasons why people love Meatless Monday.  Our main motivator is to trim our grocery budget.  Here are some other alternatives to Meatless Monday:

• Meaty Monday (steak, chicken breasts, pork chops, etc.)

• Made-From-Scratch Monday (you know the meals – the ones that use every dish in the kitchen…)

• Make-It-Up Monday (take a detour from the recipe cards. This would really scare my family!)

• Meatball Monday (yes, I have so many uses for meatballs that I could devote one night a week to them…)

• Macaroni Monday (this could be a pasta or oven-baked casserole night)

• Marinara Monday (any dish that uses sauce!)

• Muffin Tin Monday (muffin tins aren’t just for breakfast!)

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TUESDAY

There would be mutiny around here if we didn’t have Taco Tuesday.  This has turned out to be pretty much any meal in the taco realm (enchiladas, taco soup, etc.).  Other options for a Tuesday theme night that we will incorporate when we get tired of Taco Tuesday probably never are:

• “Try It” Tuesday (try a new recipe)

•  Take-Out Tuesday (either order from a favorite restaurant, or whip up your favorite copycat recipe)

• Traeger Tuesday (we are currently using our Traeger on Thursdays…more on that below)

• Turkey Tuesday

• Tourist Tuesday (cook a meal inspired by past, upcoming, or bucket list travel)

• TikTok Tuesday (get those social media recipes out of your saves and onto your dinner table!)

• Tomato Tuesday (this theme works for any tomato-based recipes, but this could also be a placeholder for any ingredient that’s overtaking your garden during the growing season)

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WEDNESDAY

If you ever visit us on hump day, you can look forward to One Pot Wednesday.  I have also decided to include Crockpot meals in my meal planning for this theme, even if they might not end up being true “one pot” recipes.  Other ideas for Wednesday include:

• Wacky Wednesday (clean out the fridge/leftover night)

•  “What’s New” Wednesday (try a new recipe)

•  Wrap Wednesday (put your favorite salad in a tortilla and call it a night)

•  World Cuisine Wednesday 

• Wake Up Wednesday (breakfast for dinner)

• Waffle Wednesday (play a little bit of “Will it Waffle?” with your family)

• Wishlist Wednesday (rotate through your family members’ dinner wishlists)

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THURSDAY

In our time zone, we have Traeger Thursday.  Yes, we have devoted one night a week, 52 weeks a year, to our wonderful Traeger wood pellet smoker.  When our propane grill became an unpredictable flamethrower, Mr. Blue Eyes really wanted to replace it with a smoker.  I was skeptical, but have been pleasantly surprised by how much I love it.

In my world of naming theme nights, Tuesday and Thursday theme night ideas are pretty much interchangeable. So you can read those ideas above, but here are a few Thursday-specific ideas:

• Thrifty Thursday (plan a meal based around what’s on sale)

• Thaw-It Thursday (use at least one ingredient from the freezer)

• Thirsty Thursday (choose your main course based on the beverage you’ll be drinking with it)

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FRIDAY

We end the work week with Favorites Friday at our house.  This catch-all title helped me incorporate some of our favorite recipes that didn’t really fit into any of the other theme nights.  If we eat out, it is usually on Friday nights, so “Favorites Friday” can also include our favorite restaurants.  Other ideas for Friday include:

• Fire Up the Grill Friday

•  Fish Friday

• Fancy Friday (try those pretty recipes you find on Pinterest)

• Freezer Meal Friday (use a homemade or store-bought freezer meal)

• Finger Food Friday (charcuterie board, wings, potato skins, etc.)

• Flip-Flop Friday (kids plan and/or cook)

• Flapjack Friday (breakfast for dinner)

• Flatbread Friday (gyros, flatbread pizzas, meals that go with naan, etc.)

• French Fry Friday (any meal that would pair well with french fries/tots/roasted potatoes)

• Fend For Yourself Friday (there are nights when Mr. Blue Eyes and I are so busy that we each whip up our own quick dinner of choice and make enough to share with the kids)

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SATURDAY/SUNDAY

Weekends call for simplicity around here. We have Soup Saturday which is perfect for our busy weekends.  I normally do a bit of grocery shopping on Saturdays, so I am rarely in the mood to cook a big dinner afterwards.  Here are some other ideas for Saturdays/Sundays.

• Sausage Saturday/Sunday

• Salad Saturday/Sunday

• Sandwich Saturday/Sunday

• Save It Saturday/Sunday (use up dribs and drabs of ingredients/leftovers so they don’t go to waste)

• Seafood Saturday/Sunday

• Storage Saturday/Sunday (try some creative recipes to help rotate your food storage items)

• Stir Fry Saturday/Sunday

• Slow Cooker Saturday/Sunday (break out the Crockpot!)

• Spaghetti Saturday/Sunday (pasta night is always a weekend favorite)

• Speedy Saturday/Sunday (use the Instant Pot or some of your other no-prep dinner ideas)

• Spud Saturday/Sunday (potatoes could either be the star or the side dish)

• Sunday Supper (pot roast, etc.)

• Celebration Saturday/Sunday (End your week with a celebration! Celebrate whatever food holiday falls on that day. Check out my free printable cheat sheet of food holidays for inspiration!)

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As I mentioned earlier, the possibilities really are endless.  I hope that this has given you some ideas for your own dinner theme nights!

Deciding on Your Meal Plan Theme Nights

When you are brainstorming your own ideas, the main thing to keep in mind is whether you have enough recipes to warrant an entire night’s theme on that idea.  

At our house, Meatball Monday is a totally legitimate possibility, while it might not be for others who don’t have as many “go-to” meatball recipes.  On the other hand, casseroles are not a favorite for our family, so we wouldn’t devote one night a week to them.  The few casseroles that we do enjoy are included in our catch-all “Favorites Friday” theme.

You could even create a monthly meal planning calendar template that rotates through different themes each week or every other week. This will add some variety while still providing you with a starting point for meal planning.

Once you have your meal plan figured out, save even more time by posting it for the whole family to see.

How does THAT save time?

I’ve found that there is less “What’s for dinner?” questioning and negotiating with a posted menu. This saves time AND sanity!

Save These Dinner Theme Night Ideas

Be sure to save this post so you can come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite meal planning board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these dinner theme night ideas whenever you get suck in a meal planning rut!

The post Meal Plan with Theme Nights: Over 50 Ideas! appeared first on Mommy Standard Time.

]]> https://www.mommystandardtime.com/recipe/gluten-free-rice-roni-copycat/ https://www.mommystandardtime.com/recipe/gluten-free-rice-roni-copycat/#respond Sat, 28 Mar 2020 21:51:00 +0000 https://www.mommystandardtime.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1237 This post contains affiliate links, which are designed for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites.  For my full disclosure policy click here. Most of the recipes I post are quick and easy recipes that are intended to save time in the kitchen.  I know that this particular recipe, …

Gluten Free Chicken Rice-a-Roni Copycat Read More »

The post Gluten Free Chicken Rice-a-Roni Copycat appeared first on Mommy Standard Time.

]]>

This post contains affiliate links, which are designed for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites.  For my full disclosure policy click here.

Most of the recipes I post are quick and easy recipes that are intended to save time in the kitchen.  I know that this particular recipe, since it is a gluten free Rice-A-Roni copycat, is obviously going to be more work than just opening a box of the original.  BUT, when it comes to a gluten free meal that the whole family enjoys, this meal is worth the extra couple of steps.  It is delicious!

QUICK NOTE: “Rice-A-Roni” is a registered trademark of the Golden Grain Company. I am not affiliated with this company and they have not sponsored this post. I am using this name only to provide a frame of reference for readers and in no way imply ownership of this trademark or their recipe.

Is Rice-A-Roni Gluten Free?

The official Rice-A-Roni website addresses this question in detail. in which They explain that neither of their Pasta-Roni or Rice-A-Roni lines are gluten free. Pasta-Roni uses wheat-flour noodles and Rice-A-Roni adds wheat-flour pasta to their rice mixtures.

So if you have a hankering for Rice-A-Roni, your best bet is to make it yourself if you are sensitive to gluten. Luckily, it’s very quick and easy to do so!

Homemade Rice-A-Roni

I adapted this recipe from one I found in a Gluten Free Gourmet cookbook (find it here).  The author recommends keeping a “rice-a-roni” mixture in the cupboard to make this recipe even faster, but I find that I don’t want yet another container of something in my cupboards, especially since the mixture would just be rice and spaghetti pieces.  And really, breaking up spaghetti into pieces is not that time consuming (plus, it’s a GREAT job for little helpers!).

I normally use this recipe on the day after I cook whole chicken on the Traeger.  In fact, this recipe is one of the reasons that I cook two birds at once – – I like to have leftovers for this copycat “Rice-a-Roni”!

How to Make a Gluten Free Rice-A-Roni Copycat Recipe

Start by picking about 1 1/2 cups of meat from the leftover roast chicken and set it aside.

Then, break gluten free spaghetti into small pieces (about 1/2 inch) until you have 1/2 cup worth.

Add the spaghetti pieces to one cup of rice, then add the seasonings to that mixture.  Combine chicken broth and soy sauce in a measuring cup and set it aside.

When everything is prepped and ready, heat one tablespoon of oil at medium high heat in a large skillet with a lid.  Then add the bowl of dry ingredients to coat with oil, stirring for about 30 seconds before adding the wet ingredients.

After pouring the broth/soy sauce mixture into the skillet, add about three large pinches of slivered almonds (about three tablespoons).  Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

At the very end of the cooking, add the diced chicken and stir.  Then put the lid back on and let the mixture sit for a few minutes for the chicken to heat through.

This is a dish that the whole family will love!  If your household doesn’t need gluten free entrees, regular spaghetti and soy sauce work great in this recipe.  This is also a tasty side dish if you omit the chicken.

Continue reading for complete (and printable) instructions for how to make this gluten free Rice-A-Roni copycat recipe…

This recipe, along with all of my other favorites, are already typed up and ready to be added to your shopping list! Sign up for your FREE trial of Plan to Eat using my referral link (no credit card needed) and you will automatically have access to my personal collection of family favorites!

Do you want to learn more about Plan to Eat? Click here to check out my unbiased and unsponsored review!

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data-pin-description=”Save time on meal planning with Plan to Eat! Adding recipes to your Plan to Eat collection can be a time-consuming process. Here are five hacks that will save you loads of time when making your shopping list and meal planning. #plantoeat #mealplanning #timesaver” data-no-lazy=”1″ alt=”Adding Recipes in Plan to Eat – Five Time-Saving Tips – Mommy Standard Time” class=”wp-image-3365″/>

If you missed my last post about the most awesome meal planner on the planet, you can check it out here. (Don’t worry, it will open in a new tab so you don’t lose your spot.)

I’ll wait….

Pretty amazing, eh??! If you’ve signed up for your free trial you’re probably itching to get started compiling your recipe collection. Before you get started, I have a few tips that will save you loads of time not only as you enter your recipes, but as you are using the recipes to plan and shop.

This post contains affiliate links, which are designed for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites.  For my full disclosure policy click here.

As a quick reminder, Plan to Eat allows you to build your recipe collection in five main ways:

• TYPE IN YOUR RECIPES – This is the most time-consuming method. However, the form for inputting the recipe is very user-friendly. They even have bulk input where you can just copy and paste into one part of the form and they will split it up by line item for you. Even though it might take you a while to type in your recipes, it’s worth it to have them all in one place. I’ll show you why in a minute.

• WEB BROWSER BUTTON – This is one of my favorite parts of Plan to Eat! Any time you are on a website and you find a recipe that looks good, all you have to do is push the “Plan to Eat” button on your browser and the program pulls the recipe info from the website and it populates the recipe form for you. You can even choose an image…just like Pinterest! Then you just need to look things over and add any other information you need before clicking save. It takes just a few seconds. It’s literally as easy as pinning something on Pinterest, but it is WAY more useful than your mountain of pins that you have to sort through every time you are making your grocery list. Keep scrolling to see why…

• COPY AND PASTE URL – Similar to the web browser button, you can copy and paste a URL from a recipe’s website and Plan to Eat will pull that information into the program for you.

• SHARE WITH FRIENDS – A fun feature of Plan to Eat is the ability to share recipes with “friends.” They have a friends request feature, similar to social media, where you can gain access to the recipes that people have shared. Once you are friends with another Plan to Eat user, you can view and use their recipes as-is or you can copy them and make adjustments for your own taste. You can adjust the privacy settings of your own recipes just like social media; some can be shared with friends while others are for your eyes only. Or none can be shared. It’s totally up to you. Also, becoming friends with people to see their recipes (such as when you click my link) will not automatically unlock access to YOUR recipes. They would have to send you a request. This is similar to Instagram follows.

• INPUT FROM ANOTHER SOURCE – If you have a spreadsheet or other online database of your own recipes, you can upload the CSV or other compatible file to your Plan to Eat account. In addition, you don’t have to worry about Plan to Eat suddenly disappearing along with your account. Your work in gathering recipes won’t go to waste if you decide to switch, either. You can export your recipes as CSV and take them with you.

This part of the process is pretty time-consuming and you might want to rush through it. However, there are a few important things you want to do in order to make the most of your Plan to Eat recipes. Today I’m going to share FIVE things that you can do as you add your recipes that will save you MAJOR time down the road.

UTILIZE TAGS

The tag feature of Plan to Eat is one of the biggest time-savers! Before you start adding your recipes, take a few minutes to get your tags customized for you. Here’s a quick post and video from Plan to Eat that describes tags and how to get them set up.

How do you want to look for your recipes when you’re planning? When you’re searching online for something, what terms do you often use as your search criteria? THOSE are the types of tags that you want to use.

I grocery shop once a month, so I tag my recipes for the week of the month that is best for that recipe (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4).

You could tag your recipes so that you have great ideas for leftovers using tags like “leftover ham,” “leftover chicken,” and so on.

You could even tag recipes with the names of your family members to indicate their favorites. Just keep in mind that these tags ARE visible to friends who have access to your recipes.

CUSTOMIZE FOR YOUR FAMILY

Even though you can easily adjust the serving sizes of recipes on your meal planning calendar, I think it’s better to just save yourself the trouble and adjust the original recipe to your family’s needed quantities.

If you would prefer to have access to the original recipe as well, you can always duplicate the original recipe and then note in the title that it’s customized for your family. For example, I do this by writing “ROYER (Recipe Name).” I also make my customized recipe private so that I don’t confuse any of my friends who look through my collection.

If it bothers you to have two copies of a recipe visible in your recipe book, you can always use the “hide recipe” option on the original. That way, the recipe is still in your account but it’s not cluttering your recipe book.

Sometimes your customizations only impact the actual cooking and not the ingredients, so you could use the personal notes section for this.

CHECK FOR COMPATIBILITY

The shopping list feature of Plan to Eat is absolutely amazing, but to make the most of this feature there is just a touch of legwork that you want to do. It’s best if you can do this from the first recipes that you enter! Begin with the end in mind!

The shopping list combines like ingredients, but the program can only combine things that are completely compatible. For example, the program will treat “chopped onions” and “onions” as two line items on your shopping list. They will be grouped together, since they both include onion, but the quantities will be listed separately.

The best way around this is to focus on compatibility when you’re adding recipes. This means that the quantities are being measured in the same (most common) way (cups, teaspoons, or a simple quantity) and that you’re using the same terms.

SO……what does this look like?

I choose to type up my recipes based on what I’m buying at the store. Do I buy “chopped onion?” No, I buy whole onions and then chop them at home. Instead of typing in 1/2 cup chopped onion as the ingredient, I will change the recipe to say 1/2 onion (the rough equivalent to 1/2 cup chopped onion). Then, I will type “about 1/2 cup chopped” in the notes for that ingredient.

The above picture shows you one of my first lists, where you can see two lines of “chopped onion” toward the bottom. I’m still going through and fixing things as I find them, so learn from my mistake and check compatibility as you enter your recipes!

This is the same for using descriptive words like “small onion,” “large apple,” etc. Do you really buy differently-sized ingredients for your various recipes? If so, keep those words on there and they will be listed separately. If you would prefer to just have one quantity of apples to buy, just take those extra descriptors out.

Onions are one of the biggest culprits for not merging, so that’s why I have so many tips for onions. Just one more: Go ahead and type in the onion type that you will be using. Even though “yellow onion” is the fallback when you see that a recipe calls for “onion,” the program treats those two terms as different line items for your shopping list. Go ahead and type in what YOU will buy for that recipe.

I know that this sounds like a pain, but the program actually makes it easier for you. As you type in recipes, the program recognizes the terms that you’ve used. There will be soon be a drop-down of similar terms as you type. As long as you’re using terms from your drop-down, you’ll know you have chosen a compatible term.

The drop down menu also gives you a glimpse into common compatibility issues. Here is a quick look into my account when I type the ingredient “pepper.” I have obviously saved recipes without checking for compatibility. That’s fine! It gives me an idea of things I can check the next time I save a recipe.

Since the program lists these common ingredients together on the actual shopping list, it’s not a dealbreaker if the actual quantities aren’t merged. Eventually, I would love to have a beautifully compatible recipe book. I am considering making a cheat sheet for myself to check the compatibility of the recipes that I pull in from elsewhere (you know…so I’m consistently using “green bell pepper” instead of “green pepper”). That way I could quickly change terms as needed and then they’d merge beautifully. But in the meantime, I just do my best. This feature still saves an incredible amount of time!

Here’s a great post from Plan to Eat with more tips for making the most of the shopping list feature (when you’re ready for that).

FORMALIZE THE CASUAL

You might remember when I mentioned that the Plan to Eat calendar allows you to just type in ingredients that you need on a given day (for your more casual meals that don’t really have an actual recipe). This is awesome! Until you notice you’re typing things in pretty often.

Consider adding a basic recipe for these meals to save time in the future! Again, I label these types of meals with our last name, such as “ROYER – Hot Dogs.” Do I need instructions for making hot dogs for my family? Nope! I just type in the ingredients and quantities onto the recipe card, adding tags if necessary, and then save it as a private recipe.

It takes just a few seconds and then you have your family’s easy go-to recipes ready to drag onto the calendar for your planning and shopping.

CONSIDER USING PREP NOTES

If you’re going to be using ical to sync your meal planner with your favorite digital calendar, consider making use of prep notes! There is a small section near the bottom of the recipe card where you can choose to add a prep note.

These notes will show up on your calendar as all-day events. This feature is AWESOME for those freezer meals that you always forget to take out of the freezer!

So there you have it! My top five time savers to keep in mind when you’re adding recipes to your Plan to Eat collection. A little bit of work up front will save you LOADS of time in the future!

If you haven’t signed up for your FREE 30-day trial, please consider using my link! You will automatically gain access to my recipes, which can give you a head start as you build your own collection. Just click here (you don’t even need your credit card). I do get a small commission when you use my link, but there is no additional cost to you.

Are you using Plan to Eat yet? What do you love about it??

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Forget carnivals and baseball games – – did you know you can have hot and fresh kettle corn from the comfort of your own home?  None of this microwave-kettle-corn-out-of-the-bag imitation, either.  I’m talking popcorn that tastes just like the stuff that sets you back $5+ a bag at your favorite family outing. That sweet and salty slice of heaven.

When I first started making kettle corn at home, I just used a big pot with a lid on my old coil-burner stove from the ’70’s.  The sound of the pot sliding back and forth across the burner instantly took me back to watching my mom make popcorn on the stove when I was a little girl.  Do you have memories like that?

Anyway, when Mr. Blue Eyes bought me a new range for our anniversary (appliances are the new diamond, haven’t you heard?), I didn’t want to risk scratching up the brand new glass stove top by sliding a pot back and forth across the burner.  So kettle corn went by the wayside for a while.

Then I discovered the Whirley-Pop.  This thing is an essential part of any popcorn lover’s kitchen because you can have it all:  Fresh, stove-popped popcorn without scratching up the burners on your stove.  (No, this is post is not sponsored by Whirley-Pop...I just love it that much.)  You do NOT need a Whirley-Pop to have delicious kettle corn at home, but it sure helps!

This recipe is super easy to remember:  1/2 cup – 1/3 cup – 1/4 cup.  Obviously, you want the most popcorn kernels, so that is the 1/2 cup.  Oil is what you use the least of, so that’s the 1/4 cup.  Which leaves 1/3 of a cup of sugar.

“Stephanie…..that’s a lot of sugar.”  

Why, yes.  Yes, it is.  And it’s delicious.  Moving on…

All you do is heat up your oil at high or nearly-high heat (I usually have my burner set at 8 or 9) with a couple of test kernels.  Make sure you have the pot covered with a lid (or close the lid flaps on the Whirley-Pop).  When you hear the test kernels pop, you add the popcorn kernels and sugar.

Replace the lid and give the pot one big shake to help move the sugar around and then keep it moving while it heats and begins to pop (shaking the pot back and forth if you are using a regular pot or turning the handle of the Whirley-Pop).

**Safety Note:  I usually leave the safety tips to common sense, but I want to make sure I say this.  The Whirley-Pop has little vents in the lid and occasionally some hot sugary oil can shoot out when the kernels start popping.  I always put an oven mitt on the hand that is holding the Whirley-Pop in place by the handle.  Just be careful!  Even though the Whirley-Pop seems fun and easy to use, I wouldn’t recommend letting your kids take over the turning of the handle.**

As soon as the popping slows down (with a Whirley-Pop, this is when you can no longer turn the handle), immediately pour the popcorn into a large bowl.  If you don’t do this quickly, the sugar will start to burn.

While the popcorn and sugar are still hot, pour salt on the popcorn.  I always put some salt on top, then stir it up really good with a spoon and salt it again.  Another safety note is to remember that this popcorn is covered in hot sugar – – you’ll want to keep little fingers out of it until it cools off slightly.  But make sure to eat it while it’s still warm because there really is nothing better than fresh-from-the-pot kettle corn. 

Nothing. Better.

Ladybug agrees….she kept sneaking handfuls while I tried to take pictures for this post.    Seriously, though, this stuff is delicious and addictive. It’s so good that I give it away as gifts, put it out for parties, and take it to potlucks as dessert, but it’s easy enough that I can quickly whip up a batch for a special after-school snack or a treat for movie night.  Although, I can neither confirm nor deny that a certain mom has even had this kettle corn for dinner…

Go make some and let me know what you think!  (Here is a detailed, printable recipe if you need it:)

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I have had a few major wins and some pretty ugly losses since joining the Instant Pot crowd last fall.  {Click here if you want to check out what I’ve shared so far}

I have been toying with the idea of trying some of my tried-and-true recipes in the Instant Pot, but I have heard mixed reviews from people who have tried converting their own stove top recipes for the pressure cooker.  Some people have great success, but the majority I have read mention that the seasonings and texture are “off”.  I finally decided that it was time for me to continue branching out with my Instant Pot, so I set my sights on cooking my favorite quinoa recipe in the Instant Pot.

It was a WIN!

Now, don’t get scared away by the word “quinoa”!  This recipe is PERFECT for people who have never had quinoa before (as long as they like broccoli). I found this recipe when I first started eating quinoa and it is single-handedly what got me used to the new taste and texture.

The smell and taste of the steamed broccoli, which are more familiar, help disguise the smell and taste of the quinoa (which definitely takes some getting used to). 

I also discovered that cooking this recipe in a pressure cooker actually helps keep the texture a little more reminiscent of rice and has a little less of the al dente texture of quinoa.  Again, this is perfect for someone who is just getting used to quinoa.  If you’re a die-hard who loves your quinoa a little more al dente, you will want to play around with the cook time a little bit.

If you need any more convincing, when I recently made this for lunch in the Instant Pot, two-year-old Ladybug (normally more of a grazer who eats a light lunch) devoured two bowls of this quinoa.  This was her first exposure to quinoa, too!

The best part of this recipe is that you set it and pretty much forget it.  The total cook time is just about as long as it would be on the stove top, maybe about 5 minutes faster, but you don’t have to worry about watching for the water to boil and removing from the heat.

All you do is rinse one cup of quinoa using a fine mesh strainer (for quinoa newbies…this step is ESSENTIAL.  You always want to rinse your quinoa before using it.)

Put the quinoa in the Instant Pot and add 1 1/2 cups of cold water.

Then, the beauty of this recipe is that you put about two cups of broccoli florets on top of the quinoa.  You don’t need to stir it or anything.  It’s going to cook right along with the quinoa.

Add a few dashes of salt and pepper and put the lid in place, making sure to set the valve to “sealing.”  Set the Instant Pot to cook for one minute on manual.  Yes, you read that correctly…just one minute.

After the pressure builds and the cook time is up, you will let the Instant Pot sit under pressure on the keep warm function for 12 minutes.  The lovely thing about the Instant Pot is that it starts counting UP after the cook time is over, so just switch the valve to “venting” once the timer has counted up to 12 minutes.  Then remove the lid.

Then you will CAREFULLY fold in one cup of shredded cheddar cheese.  I normally just let the cheese sit on top for a minute and start to melt before folding it in.  You don’t want to stir just-cooked quinoa too much or it can turn mushy instead of light and fluffy.  This is especially true when you cook it in a pressure cooker.

That’s it!  A quick and easy lunch (or dinner) OR a delicious side dish.   Keep scrolling for the printable recipe with full instructions.

Instant Pot Cheesy Quinoa with Broccoli

Servings4 people

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time13 minutes

Ingredients

• 1cup quinoarinsed
• 1 1/2 cups cold waterchicken broth can be substituted
• 2cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa and add to Instant Pot with 1 1/2 cups cold water.
2. Add broccoli to Instant Pot, but do not stir. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper.
3. Put lid on cooker and move valve to "sealing." Set it to cook on manual (high pressure) for one minute.
4. When cook time is up, let the Instant Pot stay under pressure on keep-warm mode for 12 minutes. After the 12 minutes have passed, vent any remaining pressure by switching the valve to "venting" and then remove lid.
5. Put cheese on top of the quinoa and let it sit until it starts to melt, then gently fold it into the quinoa. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

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]]> https://www.mommystandardtime.com/recipe/instant-pot-cheesy-quinoa-with-broccoli/feed/ 0 https://www.mommystandardtime.com/cake-decorating-time-saver/ Sat, 09 Sep 2017 23:26:11 +0000 https://www.mommystandardtime.com/?p=1301 This post contains affiliate links, which are designed for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites.  For my full disclosure policy click here. Ladybug recently had a “Paw Patrol“-themed birthday party.  With life the way it is right now, the planning for this birthday party did not really happen …

Cake Decorating Time Saver Read More »

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Ladybug recently had a “Paw Patrol“-themed birthday party.  With life the way it is right now, the planning for this birthday party did not really happen until the last minute.  Luckily Amazon Prime came to the rescue with the decorations via two-day shipping.

The cake was a whole different issue.

You see, I have grand cake decorating ideas but limited cake decorating skills and even more limited cake decorating patience.  Especially right now.  So I knew that a homemade Paw Patrol-themed cake was going to be out of the question.

I had snatched up some figurines at the dollar store months ago, when my cake decorating vision was at its grandest.  (You can find the complete set on Amazon here.) But the day before Ladybug’s birthday, I found myself cruising the store bakeries for a ready-made birthday cake on which I could just plop these figurines.

Life happens and I needed to save some time.

But I was striking out! The two bakeries in town did not have any cakes that looked birthday-ish and wouldn’t clash with the Paw Patrol figures.

Then I saw it.

A fresh, white cake.  The perfect blank canvas.  I asked the bakery worker to go ahead and box it up, while The Professor looked at me like I had three heads.

“But Mom, that’s a WEDDING cake!”

But I’ll tell you what…I think I’m going to be buying white wedding cakes from now on.  Here’s why:

NO CLASHING – I’m going to let my perfectionism show for a second here.  I hate going to all of the trouble of decorating the house for a party and then have the cake totally clash.  The blank canvas of the white wedding cake was right up my alley.

NO NEED TO PLAN AHEAD – Most bakeries will have some sort of all-white wedding cake on display.  In our case, the rosettes were a little fancy for Paw Patrol, but I could live with it.  Plus, I didn’t have to wait for them to write anything on the cake.  Just grab and go.

NO BAKING – Enough said.  Yes, I know homemade tastes better.  But when you’re in a pinch, some cake is better than no cake.

The day of the party, I pulled the cake out of the fridge, plopped some icing dots on the sides and set the figurines on top.  Five minutes later and I was done.  Ladybug squealed with delight when she saw her cake and I was glad I didn’t spend hours on a cake that would fail to live up to my grand vision.  Pinterest won’t go crazy over this cake, but my two year-old was thrilled.

Re-purposed wedding cake, you’re my new best friend.

If you’re pressed for time or (like me) your cake decorating skills don’t match up with your cake decorating vision, you should give this trick a try!

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I plan my life around food.  There, I said it.  I truly don’t understand how someone can “forget” to eat a meal.  Now, I can get busy in the morning and not get around to eating breakfast, but I am fully aware of my predicament, by golly.  I measure time based on my meal status.  Let’s say Mr. Blue Eyes wakes up in the morning and suggests a trip to the park…I won’t ask him what time he wants to go to the park; I’ll ask him if we’re going before lunch, after lunch, or if we’re going to eat at the park.

So it only makes sense that my first (and possibly only) post about the Great Solar Eclipse of 2017 is going to be about snackage.  Since the eclipse is happening before lunch, I plan on spoiling our appetites with a few sweets: Eclipse Oreos and Solar Corona Pretzels.

When I went to the store to find supplies for our Eclipse Snacks, I knew I wanted to experiment with Golden Oreos and Regular Oreos.  When I walked into the cookie aisle, it was as if the heavens had opened.

Say WHAT?!  How fortuitous was this??  Since I didn’t have to Frankenstein my own Oreo combination, I was able to get right to work when I got home.  I took out an Oreo and started shave away a little bit of the Golden Oreo side at a time (to represent increasing amounts of the sun being blocked by the moon.)

 This is done easily with a regular table knife as long as it has some serration.  I just made a V-shaped notch….

…then pushed off the cut cookie and the filling behind it.  After scraping off any remaining filling, I took the knife and scraped just  a little more cookie out of the middle to make it look more curved.

As I made it about halfway, I realized what a sad cookie I would have at totality if I continued cutting away the Golden Oreo; just one half of a regular Oreo with no filling.  Totality deserves a full cookie, don’t you think??

So I flipped it over and started cutting away at the regular Oreo, ending with a full cookie again to represent totality.

My plan is for each kid to have a set like above so that they can eat each cookie as the eclipse matches.  Whether you are watching the eclipse with kid-friendly eclipse glasses, using a pinhole projector, or streaming it online, cookies will make the whole process more exciting!

My other eclipse snack idea did not turn out as well as I had hoped.  After finishing, I didn’t really want to continue to experiment because I already had two pans of chocolate covered pretzels.  It’s not like a Christmas cookie recipe that I need to master so that I can use it year after year.  This eclipse is a one shot thing and I just wanted something to start a conversation with the kids about the solar corona.  I had enough chocolate covered pretzels to accomplish that task, so I didn’t stress about Pinterest-perfect pretzels.  Life’s too short!

The key to my solar corona snacks are the round pretzels, which I found at Safeway.

First, I melted a bag of white chocolate chips in the microwave with 1 1/2 tablespoons of shortening.  I melted in 30 second increments at 50% power, stirring after each one and switching to 10 second increments as the chocolate got closer to being fully melted.

Then I dipped the pretzels in the melted white chocolate, laid them on a Silpat-lined baking sheet and sprinkled white sparkling sugar on them before the chocolate hardened.  I then put the pans in the freezer so things could get good and set.

While I waited for the white chocolate on the pretzels to set up, I melted a bag of milk chocolate chips (with shortening) in the microwave just like the white chocolate.  Once melted, I removed the baking sheets from the freezer and filled the center of each pretzel with chocolate.  I didn’t get any pictures of this part because I had all hands on deck.  I put my finger over the bottom of a funnel, then had my mom help me fill the funnel with chocolate.  I then used the funnel to fill the center of each pretzel, putting my finger over the funnel hole between each pretzel.  It was a messy process.  Then, before the chocolate started setting up, I smoothed out the chocolate with a knife.  **One thing I would do differently is I would have the darker chocolate cover more of the white chocolate-covered pretzel because the proportions were off with this batch…and it bugged me…**

When I had the pretzels finished, I explained to the kids that the milk chocolate represents the darkness of the moon covering the sun’s path and the white chocolate represents the solar corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere, that is visible during totality.  They were impressed.  And really, isn’t that what matters??

So that’s what’s on our menu for the solar eclipse.  I also grabbed a bag of Sun Chips.  What will you be snacking on?  Moon Pies?  Eclipse Mints?  Let me know in the comments below!

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Sometimes it’s just too hot to cook.  Even in an air conditioned house.  When we were menu planning this week, nothing really sounded good.  Does that happen to you when you get too hot?  When it happens to me, I often turn to one of my favorite easy meals…chicken salad croissants.

This recipe is so simple…it’s just like whipping up a tuna sandwich, but BETTER (because tuna’s not my thing).  I really don’t have a set recipe for you to follow since I wing it every time, but here’s the main idea.

Place the canned chicken in a bowl and add your desired quantities and proportions of green onion, chopped celery, and halved purple grapes.  I make chicken salad with three 12-ounce cans of chicken (we have a lot of mouths to feed!), so I need to add a lot of crunch.  This is what my bowl looks like…

Once you have the right chicken-to-crunch ratio for your liking, start adding mayo.  I add about one heaping tablespoon per can of chicken.  The mixture will still be slightly dry at this point and that’s okay; there is one more step.

The final step is to add ranch dressing (again, about one tablespoon per can of chicken) until the mixture is to your liking.  Then I would recommend letting it chill a little bit before serving.

Serving it on a croissant dresses it up a bit and makes it feel more like dinner food and less like picnic food (to me, at least).  But there really is no need for a croissant; this chicken salad is also delicious on bread, with crackers (these are my absolute favorite), or even on gluten free tortillas (which is how I normally eat chicken salad).

What is YOUR favorite meal on a hot summer evening?  Leave me a comment below!

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